Archive for December 2017 (8 posts)

Light the Winter Night with Primary Sources

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As Teaching with the Library of Congress takes a break to celebrate the winter holidays, all of us here hope this image from the Library of Congress Lands End All-America quilt collection reminds you to take a moment and look up at the stars with your family and friends.

Starlight, Starbright. Illinois State winner of the 1992 Lands End All American Quilt Competition. Created by Pat Denaxas, 1991

We hope your holiday break will give you an opportunity to recharge and review some of the blog posts you might have missed during the first part of the school year.

Save the Date to Watch: Inaugural Event for the New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Streamed Live from the Library of Congress

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The Library of Congress, in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) and Every Child a Reader, will inaugurate the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 10:30 a.m. in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.

Former Teacher Finds Songwriting Inspiration in Library’s Digital Newspapers

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Rob Williams first used the Library’s digital newspaper collections more than a decade ago as a high-school teacher of U.S. history in Powhatan County, Virginia, near Richmond. Today, he’s a recording artist—he released his third album, “An Hour Before Daylight,” in October. But he still draws inspiration from the same online resources that captivated his history students.

Using the Rosa Parks Collection to Foster Student Inquiry of Parks’ Depictions in Civil Rights Narratives, Part 2

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Comparing the narratives in secondary sources to primary sources from the Rosa Parks Papers can foster student inquiry to develop a more complex understanding of her role in the Civil Rights Movement as a life-long activist.

Using the Rosa Parks Collection to Foster Student Inquiry of Parks’ Depictions in Civil Rights Narratives, Part 1

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The Rosa Parks Papers at the Library of Congress can promote student inquiry into the complexities of Parks’ life and activism and engage students in analysis about her life and civil rights activism to support or refute popular depictions of Parks in civil rights narratives.

Information Literacy: Why Does the Source Matter? Gilmore’s 1869 Peace Jubilee

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Two articles about Patrick Gilmore’s June 1869 peace jubilee in Boston, an event many students and teachers may not be familiar with, might pique students’ interest in learning about the event and lend themselves to structured evaluation and analysis of each source of information

Was Hammurabi Pro-Temperance? The Importance of Critical Reading and Historical Context

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According to an article in the August 28, 1912, edition of The Presbyterian of the South, “The attempts at regulation [of alcohol] failed and the civilization of Babylon was snuffed out in an orgy of drink.” An article like this presents an opportunity to teach students how to read content critically and to place it in historical context.